Life's A Song
by kellsmarie
Summary: Post finale RT story. Roughly eight years after the earthquake, Ryan runs into a young boy in need of help, just like he once was. But will his relationship with Taylor survive the changes it brings?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: First of all, I absolutely loved the finale. I thought it gave us closure, and I couldn't see it ending any other way. That said, it definitely left me with questions still, but ones that I wanted to answer myself, it that makes any sense. lol Being an R/T fan, I wanted a little more closure to them. Otherwise, I really think it ended with them as no more than friends. So, I had the idea for an R/T post finale fic. Actually, it's going to be R/T/T, but that'll be revealed more really really soon. lol If you're wondering, this does start in the last scene of 4.16, The End is Not Near, It's Here. If you haven't seen it yet, you've been forewarned. Please review if you do read. Thanks in advance.

Ryan Atwood couldn't keep the smile from his face as he surveyed the building in front of him. It was one of many architectural projects he had taken on recently, but this one was by far his favorite. There was something about being back in Chino again, well being back and knowing that he could return to his almost perfect home after a long day of work and being greeted by his favorite person in the world. The fact that he didn't feel trapped there was enough to keep him coming back to help the still struggling community. This time, it was a children's hospital. The time before, it had been a community center. Any project that could help the kids here in Chino end up half as great as he did, he was all for.

Reminding him of just how lucky he truly became, he felt his cell phone vibrate in his back pocket. He quickly interrupted Rick, the leader of the team actually constructing the hospital as he relayed the progress from the day, telling him he had to take the call. As he moved away from the choking noise of power saws, drills, and yelling, he smiled to himself as he saw the number displayed on his phone, a nice surprise that he wasn't expecting. He planned to see that it was Seth calling once again. Even if they were living separate lives in separates places, Seth would usually find time to call to talk about himself at least two times a day. And if Ryan was honest with himself, he wouldn't have it any other way.

Honestly, he missed having Seth around all the time. After a year apart from Summer, the two of them decided that they really were in their relationship for the long haul. Newly engaged, with no pregnancy scare involved, the two agreed to get married as soon as they graduated. And five years later, that dream became a reality as they were married in the backyard of the home of Sandy, Kirsten, and six year-old Sophie in Berkley. Seth had been the one to want to leave Newport the most, but he hadn't counted on missing it. When he was offered a contract to write Atomic County, he took it without hesitation. And with Summer working as a guidance counselor, she could work wherever there were high school students. The two relocated back to Newport, close enough to see their family on a regular basis, but far enough away to make a name for themselves.

Ryan and Taylor, on the other hand, were a different story. She had realized that Oxford really was her dream, that the city of Paris meant more to her than she had thought originally. And as she told him strictly the day she decided to leave, it wasn't his. As much as she wanted to be with him, she wanted to see him discover his own dreams as well. So, they spent four years apart, with both of them staying with Sandy and Kirsten over breaks. It wasn't ideal, but it worked for them. As soon as they had both finished school, they bought an apartment together in L.A., where he had been offered a great internship at an architectural company. Taylor had taken odd jobs, not really finding anything she especially liked. Even though she had a teaching degree, she didn't take to teaching the way she originally thought she would. Only two years later, the two of them decided to do something risky: start their own company. Ryan would have his dream job as an architect, and Taylor would be his personal assistant when it came to organization, something that she loved to do. Especially if it meant they could spend every day together.

A year and a half later, their business was still going strong. Ryan had built the apartment complex they now lived in, as well as half of the new attractions available to children in Chino. Yet, there still was no ring on Taylor's finger or any mention of getting married at all. They were both perfectly content to be bond together by only their love and not a legal document. They lived together in an apartment within walking distance of Ryan's office, they were close to their families, and they were happy. Really happy. And it only made Ryan happier to flip his phone open and be met by her cheerful voice.

"Are you coming home soon?" The tiny honey blonde on the other line gushed, trying hard to hide her excitement. It had been a long day since she had arrived home after a meeting with a potential new supplier and found the news she had been looking for. She had waited as long as she possibly could before calling him at 5:01 exactly, knowing he usually aimed to be home by five.

Hearing the excited tone to her voice, Ryan felt happier himself. Quickly motioning to Rick that he had to leave, he made a promise to himself that he would call him later. He had barely seen Taylor so far this week, and he had already heard enough to know that everything was right on schedule. As he headed to his car, he squinted in the harsh late afternoon sun. "Yeah, I'm heading to my car right now… Why? Did I forget something? Are we baby-sitting again for Sandy and Kirsten tonight?"

"No… I just miss you. You left early this morning, and I was asleep when you got back last night, so I miss you. Can't a girl miss her boyfriend and want him there with her?" He laughed softly to himself as he heard her response, loving how it sounded just like her.

"Well, I'll be there soon, okay? As long as traffic's okay, I'll be there within a half hour. Is that good?"

"It's perfect!" she responded quickly, having to fight harder to contain her enthusiasm. Within the hour, their lives would be changed forever, and she couldn't wait to tell him the good news. She had to try her hardest not to tell him right then over the phone. Hearing the sounds of someone behind him, she suddenly remembered that he had told her he was planning on visiting the site that day. "Oh! I totally forgot, Ry! How are things there?"

"Right on schedule. If things keep going this well, we'll be done by the end of the month. I'm at the car now though, so I should go. I'll be home soon though…. I love you too, Taylor. Okay, bye." He shut his phone and replaced it in his back pocket before moving to grab his keys. As he went to unlock the door, he finally saw the boy. If he had been paying attention, he would've noticed this same young boy had been sitting there for most of the day, since about eight that morning. He would know that the boy wore that same dazed expression every day as he walked alone, wanting to be anywhere but where he belonged.

As he watched the young boy, probably 12 or 13, stare at his feet with that same lost expression, he felt almost sick to his stomach. _He had been that same kid once, almost 12 years ago. _He had needed someone to help him, and his savior had been Sandy Cohen. And he wasn't about to let this kid just remain here like that. He waited another minute, trying to catch his attention before speaking. His voice was loud to rise above to chaos behind him, but not strong enough to scare the child in front of him. "Hey, kid…. Do you need help?"

He watched as the boy raised his head so his light baby blue eyes met Ryan's. Seeing him straight on, Ryan realized that he seemed much younger than he had at first. He watched as his gaze quickly snapped back down to his feet and he started to shake his head. He stopped a minute later as he looked back up to Ryan once more. "Who are you?"

Ryan moved cautiously around his Range Rover, still not wanting to scare the boy as he sat down next to him on the small concrete wall. "Ryan Atwood. I'm helping to build that building right there," he responded, pointing to the hospital across the street. "Do you want to tell me who you are?"

The boy was silent for a minute before he spoke again, pondering whether or not to give out this tiny bit of information or not. "Tyler. My name's Tyler Collins." It was the only information the boy gave before looking back down to his worn sneakers. From his appearance, it was clear the boy could use a warm meal and a good night's sleep. He was exhausted, hungry, and all alone in the world. Satisfied with the single answer he got from the kid, Ryan decided to continue on, see what else he could gather.

"Where are your parents, Tyler?"

"My mom left when I was four. I haven't seen her since then. And my dad… I don't know. I haven't seen him in a couple of days… He says that I can take care of myself, now that I'm 12." Ryan's heart broke as he heard the child's response, his curiosity now replaced with anger. Who in their right minds would leave a child this young alone like that in a place like Chino? He no longer needed to think over whether or not to take action, he had no other choice. "How old are you?"

Ryan's anger dissipated as he heard Tyler's innocent question, knowing he would've probably asked the same thing had he been 12. "Well, Tyler, I'm old."

"How old?" he questioned, laughing a little at the young man's response.

"I'm 27, almost 28. And I live in L.A. with Taylor, my girlfriend…" He watched as the boy nodded in response, taking in this new information. Ryan took it as his opportunity to finally do something. "And you know what? I'm sure she'd love to meet you too, Tyler. How about you come over for dinner? And then first thing in the morning, I'll help you find our dad, okay?" Ryan took note of the way the boy cringed as his father was mentioned, but didn't say a word. A long stretch of silence took place before Tyler finally nodded in response. And Ryan couldn't remember a time he had been more relieved.

Taylor's whole body shook in excitement as the headlights of Ryan's car flashed their yellow orange glow on the side of the building below. Making her way through their spacious two-floor apartment, she checked on the dinner she had made one more time before waiting for him in the living room. She had no idea how she had lasted just this long without spilling to him, and she didn't feel like testing herself any further. It wasn't long before she could hear the sound of the elevator approaching, then watched as its doors opened, to the inside of the apartment. But as she stood up from the couch to make herself apparent, she was shocked to find that Ryan wasn't alone.

She didn't hide her surprise well, she could tell as the young boy with Ryan quickly looked down to his feet and Ryan gave her a nervous half smile. As he stepped into the apartment, he set down a small backpack along with his briefcase, obviously belonging to the boy. She let him wrap an arm around her waist and kiss her softly before giving him a puzzled expression. It was then that Ryan finally motioned toward the boy, his voice not hiding his anxiousness. "Taylor, this is Tyler. He's going to stay with us for tonight."

Now, Taylor was more confused than ever, as she looked between the man she loved and the boy she had never met. Ryan had already rehearsed what to do, going over the situation many times. He quickly led Tyler to the couch, giving him the remote and making him promise to stay there before leading Taylor back to their bedroom. He knelt down in front of her as she sat down on the edge of the bed, still wearing a bewildered expression. He sighed softly, kissing her hand softly as he took it in his own. "Tay, I'm sorry… I didn't know what else to do?"

She nodded in response, now shocked. "Didn't know what to do? Ryan, he's not a lost puppy. He's a little boy. He's _someone else's _little boy. You can't just bring him home like this."

Ryan sighed, running his other hand through his hair. "Taylor, you don't understand. I was Tyler at one point, and the Cohens took me in. This kid, he's exactly the same way, Tay. His mom deserted his family, his dad left him alone for days… He's only 12. Would you want our 12 year-old son living like that?"

Hearing him say their son, Taylor felt a flutter in her stomach, excited once again. She shook her head in response, sighing softly. "No, I guess not…" Knowing that she was right, she finally looked back at him, biting her lip lightly. "Okay, he can stay here for tonight. But you're calling Sandy right away, and we're going to find his family starting tomorrow morning, okay?"

Ryan nodded in response, relieved that she had agreed. He knew that she would see the situation the way he had, it would only take her longer. He kissed her softly as he stood up, talking as he walked towards the dresser. "That's exactly what I had planned to do. I'm just going to change really fast, and then we'll talk to Tyler a little more, and I can call Sandy once…"

As Taylor processed everything he was saying, she finally realized he was heading into the bathroom, and he was bound to find out. She suddenly jumped up from the bed, not even noticing that he had stopped mid-sentence as she began to speak herself. "Wait, Ry!"

As she arrived in the doorway, she realized she was too late as he gazed down at the piece of white plastic in his hand, biting his lip in thought. He paused for a long time before looking back up to meet her face, his face and voice expressionless. "You're pregnant." He said it just like that, not even questioning it. She waited a moment before nodding slowly in response, still watching him carefully. Her worries disappeared altogether as a smile spread across his face. He placed the test back on the counter, moving to wrap his arms around her, kissing her more passionately than he had all week. He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes as he spoke. "I love you so much, Taylor."

"I love you too, Ry."

"God, this is great… This is the best news I've gotten all week…" She felt his hand fall to rest on her perfectly flat stomach, his lips covering hers once again. She kissed him back just as lovingly, but she had to force a smile as he pulled back. Suddenly, it didn't seem so great. It didn't seem so perfect. She had always hated change, and a baby was change. Good change, but change all the same. And if they couldn't find Tyler's family… well, that would be change too. It was a lot of change to handle all at once. And she wasn't sure they were ready for this. She wasn't sure _she _was ready for this.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I usually don't update the same fic twice in a row or this soon, but I really do love this one and the response I got was absolutely amazing between both sites. Now, I'm really really nervous about disappointing you all. lol I'm sorry if this isn't up to par, it's been a really bad day, and I'm writing this in an attempt to calm myself down. Hopefully, you all still like it. Please review if you do read. Thanks in advance.

Taylor wasn't really sure what she thought Ryan's reaction would be when he found out she was pregnant. She knew what she wanted to happen, but she hadn't really given any thought to what he may actually do. She had hoped he would be absolutely ecstatic, as thrilled as she had been when she had seen those two tiny pink lines on the first test, then the very clear 'pregnant' read-out on the second, the one she had so stupidly left on the bathroom counter. She wasn't upset that he had found out, she had just thought he would find out differently, more romantic, more perfect. But the way he found out was just… well, it was just the way it would happen for them. And he would pick her up, carry her back into their bedroom, and make love to her painfully slow, letting her know just how much he loved her. Or maybe they would spend the rest of the night, talking about their future and what was to come. Well, whatever she had seen, it didn't involve changing the sheets on the guest room bed, that was for sure.

She strained to catch whatever she could of the conversation coming from the other room. Ryan had tried to call Sandy as soon as he had finished talking things over with Taylor, but no one had answered much to his dismay. Of course, Sandy had called just as they were about to help Tyler get settled in for the night, and Ryan had to take the call, leaving Taylor to get the young boy ready for bed. If she was completely honest with herself, she was more than just a little uncomfortable around this young boy. The thought of caring for him really freaked her out. She knew that they were about to have a baby, but a baby was different. You learned as you went along, they were just as helpless as you were in the beginning, and it would be their baby. This was someone else's little boy that she was in charge of, if only for the night. And it really scared her.

She let her thoughts wander as she finished tucking the crisp white sheets into the tiny twin bed. Caring for Tyler was even different than it was on the frequent nights that the two of them baby-sat Sophie or Brandon, Ryan's little brother. They were both family, and she knew their likes and dislikes. She knew when they were tired or hungry or upset or happy without even having to ask. Tyler was this little person she didn't know at all, and that didn't help dissipate her fears at all.

As soon as she finished making up the bed, she went back into the family room, finding Tyler on the couch watching some show intently. Sitting there in the Spiderman pajamas that actually were Brandon's, he looked even more vulnerable. But she had to laugh as she stepped a little closer and saw just how poorly the pajamas really fit him. Brandon was a little over four years younger than him, and much shorter. She gave him a small smile, trying to hide her nervous demeanor as she spoke to him. "Tyler, I've got the guest room ready for you… If you want, you can go lay down now, and I'll make sure Ryan comes in to see you before he goes to bed, okay?"

This was good enough for him as he nodded in response, standing up from the couch and turning the TV off. All through dinner, the boy had been this polite, doing just as he was told. If he told them how he was truly feeling, he would let them know that this was because he didn't want to have to go back to the home where he didn't feel welcome. He didn't want to go back to being alone all day long and some nights as well. He didn't want to go back to a life where he lived in constant fear, where he felt like he would never be safe. But he kept it all to himself. Even if these people who were supposed to love him hurt him, they were still his family and he felt like he still had to stay loyal to them.

Taylor stood in the doorway as she watched Tyler get into bed. Her breath caught in her throat as his shirt lifted up on his back as he moved into the bed, revealing a large yellowing bruise on his lower back. She was almost certain that it was from something at home, if not from his father than from a lack of care, and it made her heart break once again for that young boy. She moved to turn off the light next to the bed, leaving a soft kiss on the top of his head without a second thought. This boy obviously needed to be nurtured and cared for, and she wasn't about to watch him return to his home. She gave him a small smile once again as she pulled back, wanting to let him know that things were going to get better, but she knew at the same time she could promise that. So instead, she just gave him that same sad smile. "I promise you we'll do something about those pajamas soon because those definitely won't work for you, okay?" She watched as the boy nodded in response, his eyes already lazy with sleep. "Well, sleep good and I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

The boy nodded in response again, his eyes now completely closed. She kissed his forehead one more time before going to leave the room. Just as she was in the doorway, she heard his small voice, stopping her. "Taylor?"

She looked over to find his eyes wide open, the sleep having disappeared almost completely. "What, Tyler? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah… Just… Thanks. For everything. It's really nice of you." She gave the boy another smile as she fought to keep the tears now welling in the corners of her eyes from falling. She nodded in response, afraid that she would choke if she spoke. "Goodnight, Taylor," was his final sleepy response before falling asleep almost immediately.

"Goodnight, Tyler." She waited in the doorway for another minute before leaving the room. She was just as tired as that small child laying just down the hall, but she turned instead to stand outside the door to Ryan's office, trying to grasp whatever she could of the conversation. It was mostly just murmurs on Ryan's half, and she had long ago given up on listening in on Ryan's phone conversations. He had caught on to that very quickly, and she knew that even though he didn't come out and say that he hated it, it wasn't right. They had been working on building trust then anyways, so it made sense to stop listening.

She sighed softly to herself as she realized that she wasn't going to find anything out this way and headed back to their bedroom. She slowly pulled on her pajamas, smiling to herself as she tried to remember the last time she had actually worn anything to bed. Even when she did wear anything, it was usually only a wife beater of Ryan's. But with Tyler right down the hall, it was better to not have to even worry about awkward situations. If it meant not being able to celebrate her pregnancy tonight, so be it. She would rather be safe than sorry in this situation.

She sat down on the bed, the overturned covers resting at her feet as she pulled her knees up to her chest. Ryan's voice filled the almost silent apartment, and she silently praised herself for thinking to close the guest room door. As she sat there, she smiled softly to herself as she rested a hand on her stomach, trying to think of when they could have possibly conceived this baby. It wasn't as big of a surprise that she was pregnant, it was bound to happen eventually. She had never been on the pill, and they only used something when absolutely necessary. Two years ago, they had stopped even doing that.

It had worried her when she hadn't become pregnant right away. It wasn't like they were really trying to get pregnant, but they were both approaching 30 and their careers were steady. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. But month after month, her period still came right on time. There were a couple of times she had even seen the worried expression Ryan gave her when she would tell him this. They both tried to shrug it off as normal, their timing just wasn't right, they would say. And there was always the next month. Eventually, that next month had come. She had delighted when she realized she was four days late after being sicker than she had in a while the weekend before. And it was a relief to know that she was finally expecting.

Snapping her back from her thoughts, Ryan walked back into the room, looking more tired than he had in a while. She gave him a small smile, but he only weakly smiled back in return. He moved into the bathroom to get ready without a word, and she couldn't help but wonder what had suddenly changed. She moved to lean against the doorframe as he stripped down to his boxers, then brushed his teeth. Eventually, her curiosity got the best of her and she couldn't put up with his silence any longer. "So… What did Sandy say?"

Still, Ryan didn't say a word as he placed his tooth brush back in the drawer and his clothes in the hamper in the corner. He gave her a warm smile as he turned back around, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist as he leaned in to kiss her softly. "We can talk about Sandy more in the morning… I want to know more about this baby right now…" He smiled up against her lips as he turned them around, walking slowly back to the bed. It wasn't long before Taylor pulled back, meeting his eyes.

"Are you sure? Because, I mean, it might be easier to talk about it now. We don't know if Tyler likes to sleep in or not, and this apartment isn't familiar to him. I was thinking maybe we should set the alarm, so we can be up in time. And then you said that we're going to go find his dad, so we should really talk before then… And…" Ryan pressed a single finger to her lips as she began to ramble, picking her up and placing her down in the bed. Without saying a word, he slowly worked his lips down her body, stopping to leave soft, sweet kisses on her abdomen. After a moment, he looked back up at her, meeting her eyes.

"Taylor, it's fine. We'll have plenty of time to talk about Tyler later. I seriously want to know more about you right now. How come you didn't tell me before you took the test?" It was Taylor's turn to ignore his question now. She pulled back as he went to kiss her again, her smile from before having faded. She bit her lip lightly before starting, wanting to make sure that she had his full attention before starting.

"Ryan, I didn't want to tell you this now, but Tyler… He has a couple of bruises and bumps that just don't seem normal. I know that he's a little boy, but I don't think he could do anything to himself to get a bruise that big… I'm worried about it…." Ryan sighed to himself in response, running a hand through his hair. His voice was harsher, his tone louder as he started again.

"Taylor, I really don't want to talk about this now…"

"And why not? Why do you suddenly not want to talk about this? You knew when you brought him home that you expected him to stay. Why do you not want to talk about that possibility now, Ryan? Why is that?" Her tone was just as daring, only annoying him more as he looked back over at her.

"Because, Taylor. Sandy already found out where his dad is. We have no evidence to go on, and a confession from Tyler isn't going to happen anytime soon. Don't you think he would've already told us?" Taylor was suddenly extremely quiet as she looked back down to her feet resting on the bed. Ryan sighed, his voice soft and caring as he started again. "I don't want to talk about it, Tay, because it's not going to happen. We're bringing Tyler back in the morning." And as those last words left his lips, Taylor just wanted to cry.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Again, I want nothing but to just write this story in all of its entirety right now, but I know that I can't. And I don't want it to end. lol I really do love this one, and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one. Just so you know, I really have no idea how long it's going to be or when I'm going to stop. I have a title for a sequel, but really no idea of where I could end it and start a sequel. And I really don't want one right now. lol I apologize if things feel rushed right now, but it's only because I want to truly do so much. I'm also going to try to post a lot in these next few weeks. I have my dreaded term paper coming up, and if I don't get the topic I want, it's going to be hell. And it's supposed to take roughly three weeks to write. So until then, expect a lot of posts. As always, please review if you do take the time to read. Thanks in advance.

Neither of them slept at all that night, both wracking their minds for anything that could buy them time. They had both seen the way Tyler had behaved that night and knew from experience that he wasn't just a little boy running away because of a small disagreement. Yet, at the same time, both of them were lost when it came to what to do. The silence that filled the room was broken every so often when one of them would speak an idea aloud only to realize a flaw once it was out there in the open. On some level, they knew this wasn't getting there somewhere and they should just rest their exhausted minds, but they knew what the morning would bring, and neither wanted to face that reality. So the night wore on, and so did they, finding little comfort in the fact that the other was just as lost.

It was late when Taylor sat up in the bed, her eyes gleaming with hope and excitement. Actually it was early, almost 5 in the morning already, by the time she found an idea that she truly believed would work. Her eyes met his, not needing for him to say a word to know that he was listening already. "What if I made a doctor's appointment for this morning?" Her voice did little to hide her excitement, yet he stared back at her completely lost. Somehow, he couldn't really see how a doctor's appointment, though important and now needed, would help solve the problem of Tyler. Instead of waiting for him to voice his confusion though, she continued on without a moment's hesitation. "We can't really have Tyler come with us because we're not leaving him in the waiting room, we don't want our families to know yet, and, well, that would just be awkward for both of us, I think. So, we could check with Kirsten and Sandy to make sure they don't have plans. Then, we drop him off there. It could give him some time to get to know Sophie, just in case this does become permanent, and in the meantime Sandy could try to talk to him, or at least pick up on something."

Once she finished, he only nodded, his eyes slowly moving to look up at the ceiling instead. Taylor bit her lip nervously as she waited for any response at all. She had really thought that this plan was foolproof, that it was the solution to the predicament they had suddenly found themselves in. When she felt like she couldn't stand the quiet any longer, she finally said something, snapping him out of his thoughts. "What do you think?"

Again, it was a long minute before he even looked back at her again. When he did, his deep blue eyes met her big brown ones, a small smile apparent on his lips. "I think that it's perfect. I think that it's the best idea either of us has had all night, and I can't believe we didn't think of that sooner." Taylor smiled to herself, satisfied that he had consented to her plan and obviously glad that he hadn't found any errors in her thinking. He pulled her closer to him, kissing her softly before she laid her head down on his chest. "Do you have any idea how much I love you, Taylor?"

As she heard his soft voice, she couldn't help but smile to herself, shrugging her shoulders just slightly. "Maybe… I think I may have a pretty good idea…" She rested her head back down on his chest after kissing him once more, her eyes already heavy with the sleep that she so badly needed yet had been putting off. Her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke again, muttering those three little words she had yet to go a night without saying to him. "I love you too…"

Ryan smiled softly to himself as he heard her voice, knowing she was already asleep even in that short a period of time. He was tired himself, but he couldn't sleep just yet. He was nervous, really nervous, and he knew that he couldn't calm his restless mind enough to sleep now anyways. It had been times like this that he had taken advantage of, he remembered with a contempt sigh, when Seth had been over three thousand miles away. There, it would be almost eight by now, and he would've surely been up by then. If Ryan was up for an extremely early class, or not able to sleep after a fight with Taylor, they had had their moments in the past few years, he knew that he could dial that familiar number and receive and answer without a doubt.

On those few occasions, Ryan would be lucky if he even got to greet Seth before he went into his own tirade about how miserable life was on the opposite coast. And even if he didn't get advice on his own problems, which he never did, Ryan still hung up the phone feeling better than he had before he made the call. For that small amount of time, whether it was an hour or just ten minutes, it made him feel like the distance between them wasn't really that great. It made him feel like he really didn't miss his family as much as he truly did.

He had never counted on being as homesick as he was when he first arrived at Berkley. It wasn't to the point where he began to come home every weekend, but it was worse than he thought it would be. And it really made him feel good to miss his family like that, he had never missed his family like that before. The makeshift family that he had found with the Cohens was honestly the best family he could've asked for. And with remnants of his real family close by, it was nice to know that he belonged to a group of people like that. And that was what he wanted for Tyler. He wanted that small boy down the hall to feel homesick, to feel like he was missed at one point in his life. And Ryan knew that if he stayed where he was, that wasn't going to happen.

- - - -

The next morning dawned early for Ryan and Taylor, for the obvious reason that they had only gone to sleep three hours earlier. Yet, Taylor had insisted on setting the alarm sometime the night before for eight in hopes that they would be up before Tyler. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise that she had though, making it possible for her to call the doctor's office almost immediately and secure an appointment for herself. Ryan was able to call Sandy and Kirsten, and was relieved to find that they had no plans for the day. They were even able to both get ready before Tyler woke up a little after nine, giving him just enough time to get ready himself before they would have to leave for her 10:30 appointment.

Tyler was out of it when he first woke up, not really sure as to where he was. Ryan had to fight the urge to laugh more than once as he spoke to the boy, receiving nods and muttering in response. It wasn't until after he had gotten dressed at himself and was sitting at the island in their kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal, that he finally spoke at all. His eyes had been glued to the large bay windows up until this point when he finally looked over to where Ryan was standing against the counter, reading the paper as he practically inhaled a fourth cup of coffee. "You live really close to the ocean…"

His tiny voice startled Ryan at first, having been lost in the thought, and he had to glance out the window to see the beach right below their balcony to realize what he meant. He gave the boy a warm smile as he looked over at Tyler, setting the newspaper back down on the counter. "You like the beach, Tyler?" He watched as the boy nodded enthusiastically, laughing softly to himself. "Well, I'm sure that Sophie would love to go to the beach with you, but they don't live as close to it as we do."

Tyler nodded in response, biting his lip in thought as he tried to process this new information. Taylor and Ryan had told him about their plans for the day, telling a little white lie when they told him they were going to find his dad after they came to pick him up, but he wasn't sure he still understood just right. "Ryan?" He waited until he was sure he had the older man's attention before continuing. "I'm going to your parents' house today, right?" Ryan nodded slowly in response, not so sure himself he knew where the boy was going with this. "Well, then who is Sophie?"

Expecting a more complex question, Ryan had to laugh as he heard the innocent one asked of him. He had panicked at first, thinking that Tyler had overheard his conversation with Taylor, heard him call them Sandy and Kirsten. He had wanted to tell Tyler about his past the minute he saw him, but he was glad now that he hadn't. If things didn't work out the way he wanted them to, he didn't want to have to tell him about his story of success. Moving to stand in front of him, he thought carefully before answering the question. "Well, Sophie's my little sister. She's eight, and she's about as close to your age as we're going to get right now, unfortunately."

Tyler nodded, having completely forgotten his breakfast as he continued to question Ryan. "Is she your only sister?"

Ryan nodded, smiling to himself as he started to clean up from their breakfast, hearing the door to the bathroom finally open down the hall. He had been disagreeable when Taylor had told him to go into the kitchen with Tyler, knowing that it wasn't a great morning for her, and it was a relief to know that she was at least feeling well enough to leave the bathroom. "Yes, Sophie's my only sister. But I have two brothers. Brandon's seven and a half, and Seth's 27, like me." Ryan said the last part hesitantly, not wanting to have to explain any further. Thankfully, Taylor had entered the kitchen not a minute too soon, giving him a small smile before directing her attention to Tyler.

"Are you ready to go, Tyler?" The little boy nodded in response, mumbling something about having to grab his backpack before disappearing into the living room. As soon as he had left the room, Taylor's smile faded as she moved closer to Ryan, sighing softly. "I thought I was lucky… I thought last weekend was as bad as it would get."

Ryan gave her a sympathetic smile as he wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, pulling her closer to himself and kissing the top of her head softly. He moved a hand to her back, gently rubbing it to calm her down, as his other hand moved to rest on her stomach. "I'm sorry, Tay… I know it must suck… But is it horrible if I say that I like seeing you this sick?" Taylor laughed softly as she pulled back, sticking her tongue out at him playfully. He laughed himself, shaking his head in response. "Wow, that's lovely, Taylor…" He kissed her once softly before she pulled back, moving to grab her purse and slip her flip flops on. As he looked back over at her, he bit his lip lightly, meeting her eyes. "Hey, do you mind if I meet you downstairs in a minute? I kind of wanted to try talking to Tyler…"

Taylor nodded, giving him a small smile as she moved to kiss him softly. "Take as long as you need. It's really worth it…"

- - - -

"Are you sure this is normal? For us to be waiting this long?" Ryan asked, his voice not hiding how nervous he truly was at that moment. And Taylor could only laugh. From the time they had left Sandy and Kirsten's she hadn't seen him so on edge before in her entire life. In fact, she had already decided that she would be the one driving them back to pick up Tyler. He had been asking questions the entire time, making sure that everything was fine. And he had been pacing the floor of the tiny exam room since the doctor had left, promising to return in a few minutes. Since then, it had been at least ten minutes, and Taylor was glad that at least she was calm now. If they were both this nervous, she had no idea what they would do.

She nodded in response to his questions, giving him a reassuring smile as she finally got him to look her way. She placed a gentle hand on his wrist, stopping his pacing at least for the moment. "Ryan, I'm sure that this is normal. We haven't been here for that long at all, and I think she would've told us before she left if we had any reason at all to be concerned, alright?" Ryan nodded, taking her answer as enough to convince him at least for then. She gave him another small smile as she placed a hand on his cheek, gently rubbing it with the pad of her thumb. "Besides, they already confirmed the fact that I was pregnant… It wasn't a false positive… That's a good thing…"

Ryan nodded, his worries melting further as he heard what she said. He pressed his lips against hers gently, smiling as she pulled back. "It's a very good thing… It's a great thing…"

Seeing his smile, Taylor felt herself relax a little too. Even if she wasn't pacing the floor or voicing her fear, she was a little on edge herself. This whole thing was new territory for them, and they really had no idea what to expect. She kissed him one more time, pressing her forehead against his. "It's an amazing thing…" He nodded, keeping his forehead against his. They let the silence remain between them as the minutes continued to tick by, glad to be reassured at least for the minute. The serenity of the moment was finally broken when the doctor returned to the room. Ryan's nervous demeanor returned, and Taylor tried to keep herself composed again.

She watched as the doctor studied her chart for a long time, then looked back at her, staring at her until it was awkward for both of them, then went back to her chart. She tried to convince herself that it was probably her doctor not wanting to be nosy, noticing that her last name still remained Townsend even though she was pregnant and 27 years old. Or maybe it was because she really didn't expect them to be there. For a fleeting moment, she thought about the possibility of multiples. Twins, maybe? It would be a lot to handle, but she had faith in them. But as the doctor cleared her throat to catch their attention, she looked over to find her expression grim. And she suddenly realized with a sickening wave of nausea that Ryan had been right all along to be so scared.

- - - -

Taylor didn't realize why the silence in the car felt so choking until they were pulling into Sandy and Kirsten's driveway. There were plenty of times when they would be in a room and there would be no sound but their soft breathing. There were hours that went by without them talking, the other being there just enough. But now it was an awkward silence, and she realized with a sudden jolt that it was because he thought she had been withholding information from him. But if he only knew what she had been thinking at that same moment, he would know she truly had no idea.

_Elevated stress levels. Abnormal cramping that could endanger the baby. _It all seemed like a foreign language to Taylor. She knew what it meant, she had been valedictorian of her class for god's sake. But that was just the thing. It didn't matter to God now that she had been at the top of her class or that she hadn't gone to a single high school party until she had secured that part. No one cared for that matter. Ryan could still give her the silent treatment. Her doctor could still dash her hopes of starting a family. The law could still find a way to keep an innocent little boy from herself and Ryan, two people who would truly love him. And she could be this lost, this miserable, this desperate, and her best friend knew nothing about it. How was that? Who could really hate her that much?

Her thoughts were broken as the car stopped in the driveway, and she finally looked back over at Ryan. He didn't break his eyes from the house in front of him as he sighed sorrowfully before opening his door and walking up to the house, not even bothering to open the door for her. Suddenly, she was trying her hardest to fight back tears again as she hurried to meet him at the front door before Sandy came to the door and found them like this. It was then, as they stood on the front porch on the quiet residential street that he looked back over at her, his eyes not concealing the pain he felt. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me you were in pain?"

Taylor sighed, having known that this was coming eventually. As soon as the doctor had asked why she hadn't mentioned being in pain, she knew it was going to be an issue. The truth was, she hadn't. She felt extremely guilty because of that, too, but she didn't voice that to him. Instead she met his hurt eyes with her watery ones, biting her lip to keep those tears from falling. "Because it's not like that, Ryan. I had a little discomfort before, and I thought it was just PMS. And then when I realized that I might be pregnant, I read that slight discomfort is normal. I've never been pregnant before, I don't know what's normal and what's not. And I'm not in pain, it doesn't hurt at all. She said that I had elevated stress levels and that could've caused the cramps. This could be nothing, Ry. It could be gone by the time we go back on Tuesday…"

"Or it could be something." He cut her off suddenly, his eyes having returned to the door as Sandy appeared in the doorway a minute later, having obviously caught on to the tension between them as he looked at both of their slightly frazzled faces.

"Is everything okay? I tried to call you at work, Ryan, but you didn't answer your phone…" Ryan sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair. They had told Sandy a little lie as well, that Ryan was going into work and that Taylor had a check-up. It wasn't a complete lie, they had stopped at Ryan's office, but it wasn't the complete truth either, it wasn't just a normal check-up. He hadn't counted on it coming back to bite them like this.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just ended up staying at the doctor's office with Taylor. I can do what I had to do for work from home just fine." Sandy nodded, obviously not believing the two of them as he continued to watch their faces. Ryan broke the awkward silence a minute later, clearing his throat. "How did it go with Tyler?"

Taylor felt some of her worries dissipate as Sandy gave them a smile, laughing a little to himself. "Well, I can't take any credit for what happened… I still have no idea, but somehow Sophie got through to him… And he told the same thing to Kirsten…" Taylor sighed, relieved for the first time all day. But as she looked back over at Ryan, giving him a small smile, he didn't return it, following Sandy into the house instead to talk to Tyler. And as Taylor stood out there on the porch alone, she realized that their problem wasn't related to Tyler. Hell, it wasn't even this baby. They both knew deep down inside that this thing would correct itself, she and the baby would be fine. The problem was their relationship and, after eight years, just how unstable it was. And she was almost certain that they wouldn't withstand what was to come.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Again, this fic for me is like a good book I just can't put down. I keep coming up with yet more ideas for it, and I'm still really excited about it, which really surprises me because that's usually short lived. lol I'm glad that I didn't disappoint at all with the last chapter because I wasn't exactly fond of it. I like this one more, so I hope you like it too. As always, please review if you do read. Thanks in advance.

Ryan willed himself to not glance back to see if she was following, but he was barely inside the door when he did and he was relieved to see Taylor not far behind. He honestly hadn't meant to be so hard on her, he hadn't meant to come across as being cool and uncaring. In fact, he really believed that the problem was that he cared about her too much. He didn't want to think about her having been in pain, or scared and feeling alone. He didn't want to think about the pain that she would go through if anything did happen to that baby inside of her. And he couldn't help but feel guilty because he truly saw himself as the cause for the situation. Bringing Tyler home had been stressful for her, him working late had been stressful for her, how busy things had been had been stressful for her, and now, he was only making more stress for her. So, as he followed Sandy through the house, back outside to the patio where Kirsten, Sophie, and Tyler were waiting, he silently promised himself that he would make things up to her as soon as he had the chance.

As soon as Kirsten saw Ryan and Taylor exit the house, thinking about anything at all but his family in front of him was out of the question. She was up at out of the wicker rocking chair she had been in within the blink of an eye, giving them each welcoming hugs, oblivious to the awkward glances the two shared every so often. "Ryan! I'm so happy to see you! It's been so long! And Taylor! You look great! You're absolutely glowing!"

Taylor was uncomfortable as the older woman pulled her into an embrace, especially when she heard what she said. She had never had a problem with the Cohens. In fact, she had always felt closer to them than she did to her true biological family. But keeping secrets had never been Taylor's thing, hence why she had planned on telling Ryan she was pregnant the minute he walked into the door. And between their news together and their fight just minutes before, it was a lot to keep to herself. Kirsten pulled back a minute later, giving her a warm smile as she talked softly, her tone playful. "I've told you before, you're the one who's supposed to keep him from becoming a workaholic. Otherwise, you know he would move into that office of his."

Taylor laughed politely, nodding in response as she busied her shaky hand by pushing a piece of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. "I know, I know… I try, but he's always making excuses. And how could you say no to those blue eyes?"

Ryan was surprised as he heard what she said, his head snapping up to meet her eyes straight on. She had been watching him for a reaction, he noticed from the way she quickly averted her eyes to back to Kirsten. Instead of letting the moment pass, he took her hand in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. He didn't let go of it as they sat down at the table out on the patio across from Sandy and Kirsten, and he was glad that she didn't try to pull away. Clearing his throat, he looked back over to Sandy, his eyes silently questioning him even before he spoke. "So, Tyler told you about his father?"

Sandy leaned forward, resting his elbows on the glass surface, using his hands as he spoke. "Well, to an extent. Sophie was playing with him, and when she questioned a bruise, he said that he tripped and had fallen. She told him that she knew he was lying, and he said that his dad had hit him when he was in trouble. As always, Sophie went straight to Kirsten, and… Well, I guess it would be better if she told it."

Kirsten sighed softly, her eyes drifting to the young boy innocently playing with her daughter a few feet away. "Well, he basically told me that his dad always hit him if he did something wrong. If his room was a mess, or he forgot to make his bed, or even if he wasn't home the few times his father chose to show up, it usually meant that he would be hurting. When I asked him if I could see the bruises though, he said no and made me promise that I wouldn't tell anyone. He doesn't want his dad to be in trouble."

Ryan sighed, nodding in response to everything he said as he looked back over to Tyler himself. He knew how the boy in front of him felt, he had been that scared once as well. Theresa had told him many times before to tell her mother about the things that went on at his house, but he had refused. As much as he hated being there, he still had an unconditional love for his mother. And when Frank had come back into his life and proven that he had changed, Ryan had accepted him. Even if he hadn't married Julie, the two remained close and Brandon was able to spend time with both of his parents. Looking back over to Sandy, he ran a hand aimlessly through his hair. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, that's up to you and Taylor. Right now, the two of you could be charged with kidnapping if his father decides to find out where Tyler is, but I don't think that's going to be a problem. The Samuel Collins I found had just checked into a hotel in Reno and there's no telling when he would've decided to return. I guess he had figured that the neighbors would always care for Tyler, but those same people moved three years ago and he doesn't seem to have caught on yet. You'll have to go to Child Services and Tyler has to be willing to talk to them. And then if he does, you'll need a lawyer so you can try to gain custody. Since you're not married or engaged and you have no children of your own, the odds may be against you. You'll just have to present your case and hope for the best."

Ryan nodded in response once again as he looked back over to Taylor for just a minute. Before he could speak, he heard his name called from across the yard, and as he looked up, he realized that it had just dawned on Sophie that he was now there as well. He watched as she raced across the yard, jumping into his lap with little notice. "Hi, Ryan!"

Ryan laughed to himself as he shifted in his weight just slightly in the chair to make it more comfortable, now with Sophie on his lap. It didn't surprise him at all that the little girl had reacted the way she had, in fact, he was shocked she hadn't done it sooner. Even if she wasn't his biological sister, she had always had a special relationship with him, different than the one she had with Seth. Ryan was the big brother she could depend on, while Seth was the fun brother who could pass as being eight years old himself most days. And with her big blue eyes and curly blonde hair, she looked more like him than Seth also. "Hey, Sophie. How are you?"

Sophie's excitement was obvious as she sat on his lap, her whole face lighting up. It wasn't until recently that Sandy and Kirsten had tried to explain to her that Ryan was adopted, not knowing if she would fully understand when she was younger. Thankfully, she didn't see her brother any differently, similar to the way Kaitlyn still looked to Ryan like he was her own older brother. She didn't try to hide her enthusiasm at all as she spoke to him, never noticing that the rest of the family was there at all. "Great! Mommy bought me a new dress to wear when you have that party for the hospital!" She leaned in closer to him then, whispering softly into his ear. "I really like Tyler too. Daddy said that you might keep him, the way they made you my brother."

Ryan laughed to himself again as he heard the way the innocent little girl had worded the situation. He knew that Sandy had only caved and given into her because she really was Daddy's little girl, and her persistence usually paid off with anyone because she was the baby. He spoke quietly back to her, glad to hear that Taylor was now talking to Tyler so he wouldn't hear their conversation. "Well, I hope Taylor and I can have Tyler stay with us too. I promise we'll do everything we can though, okay?" He felt her little blonde ringlet curls brush against his cheek and knew that she was nodding in response. He pulled back as he spoke to her again, but his eyes locked with Taylor's the entire time. "I think Taylor and I need to talk first though…"

"Are we talking now?" As Taylor heard her voice, she picked up on how cold and harsh her tone was and immediately regretted having said it. And from the way Sandy and Kirsten had suddenly stopped talking, she knew that they had caught what she had said. Suddenly embarrassed, she felt her cheeks turn a light pink shade as she quickly stood up from the table, any attempt to make a conversation forgotten. "I'll be right back."

Before Ryan could say a word, she had disappeared into the house and all eyes were on him. He hadn't wanted Kirsten and Sandy to know that they were having a problem right now, especially since it involved telling them that she was pregnant, but he knew that he only had himself to blame. He shouldn't have gotten upset at her, and he could've told her that he wished she had talked to him when they got home. There had been no need to discuss the issue right then. Thankfully, Sandy and Kirsten caught onto the fact that he didn't really want to talk about the issue at hand, and Kirsten was the one to say something. "Hey, Tyler and Sophie? What do you guys think about going to get ice cream?"

"Can Ryan come with?" Sophie's big blue eyes pleaded with her mother as she stayed glued to her older brother's lap, with no desire to move a muscle. Kirsten looked over at Ryan before turning back to her daughter, giving her a small smile.

"Well, Soph, I think it would be better if Ryan and Taylor had a chance to talk. As long as it's okay with Tyler, Mommy and Daddy can just take the two of you, we'll be back before you know it, and Ryan and Taylor will still be right here, okay?"

Ryan watched as the little girl bit her lip in thought for a minute, rolling the idea over in her mind. A quick glance to Tyler when Kirsten had said her name had let him know that he was okay with the idea with the way he nodded his head. Ryan had figured that would be the case, a child like Tyler who was constantly in the care of another family would either warm up to strangers quickly or completely shut them out. Judging from the night before, Ryan knew that the first choice was what applied to Tyler, and he was thankful for that. Finally, he heard Sophie's tiny voice break the silence and break the tension as well as he heard what she said. "Can I get Blue Moon?"

Kirsten laughed as well, nodding in response, as she helped the girl to her feet. "Sure, baby. You can get whatever you want." Ryan thanked the two of them before they left, watching as Tyler lingered for a minute as Sandy went inside to get his wallet and Kirsten walked slowly ahead with Sophie. It was a moment before he spoke, obviously thinking his words over carefully.

"Ryan… Is Taylor mad at me? Because I told your mom about my dad?" Ryan's heart broke for the little boy in front of him, hearing his question. He shook his head quickly, kneeling down so he was at eye level with him.

"No, Tyler. Taylor's mad at me because of something I said to her. Both of us are very glad that you told the truth about your dad, and we both still want to help you, okay?" Tyler hesitated a minute before nodding in response. Ryan gave him a small half-smile, standing back up to his full height. "You go have fun, and I'm going to try to talk to Taylor…" He watched as the boy nodded once more before following Kirsten and Sophie who were waiting patiently just a few feet ahead. The little boy seemed confident that Ryan could fix this problem. Ryan only wished he was more sure of it himself.

As soon as he could no longer hear the cheerful voices of the other four people, he made his way back into the house. It didn't prove to be a challenge finding Taylor, her sobs quite audible as soon as he walked into the house. He followed the sounds of her crying in the otherwise silent house, stopping in front of the door to the bathroom. He knocked softly once, then twice, then three times. After no response after the fourth knock, he decided to try the knob instead, relieved to find it wasn't locked. As he opened the door, he saw her head snap up to meet his eyes, obviously not having heard him before now. Her hands quickly flew to her face, trying to wipe away the traces of her tears and smeared makeup, all the while knowing he had already seen.

He walked slowly into the room, shutting the door behind him just in case Sandy and Kirsten got back sooner than he thought they would. Grabbing a Kleenex from the box on the counter, he walked over to where she was sitting on the edge of the Jacuzzi-style bathtub and knelt in front of her. Silently, he started to wipe away her tears as she began to talk, her voice breaking every so often as she tried to conceal a sob. "I'm sorry, what I said out there was out of line and childish, and I should've known better than to say something like that in front of your parents. I was just mad, really mad… I mean, to think that you think that I would withhold something like that from you really hurts… But I know that you must've just been confused and as scared as I was, so I should understand… Me, of all people, should understand you jumping to conclusions because I'm kinda known for it now… And don't worry about this. This is just hormones, so don't feel guilty for making me cry like this…"

He gave her a small smile as he left a gentle kiss on her damp nose, speaking softly. "You know me too well, you know that?" She was relieved to finally hear him say something after having been the only one talking for so long already. Before she could respond, he pressed his lips against her, his love for her obvious from the way he kissed her in that moment. As he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, his blue eyes locked with her big brown ones. "I need to apologize too. You're right, I was scared, for you and the baby, and I was confused, but more than that, I was blaming myself. I was mad at myself, not you, and I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you like that. I've never liked when people kept things from me in the past, but I believed you the minute you told me that you didn't think anything was wrong. I was too busy blaming myself to let you know that before, and I'm sorry. I really am. I love you, Taylor, and I never want to hurt you like that."

"I love you too, Ry…" she responded, her eyes already welling with tears again as she leaned in to kiss him softly. She kept her forehead against his once she pulled back, her one hand still resting on the nape of his neck. Ryan laughed softly to himself as he brushed a piece of hair behind her hair, waiting a minute before talking again.

"And if you're this bad now… I just can't wait until you're nine months pregnant and can no longer stand me…"

"Hey! The baby and I are very offended by that statement!" Taylor laughed softly as well, her hand resting protectively on her stomach as she spoke to him.

"Well, if the baby's offended… Then I guess I should apologize to the baby, huh?" Taylor playfully slapped his shoulder, rolling her eyes in response to what he said. They both sat there for what felt like an eternity, just enjoying the silence and how good it felt to just be there with the other. Eventually, she stood up from where she had been sitting, moving to the sink. But he surprised her as he stood up as well, circling his arms around her waist and pressing her back against the cool wall. He kissed her softly, then more passionately before speaking, his lips never leaving hers. "I don't think so… You're not going anywhere…"

Taylor giggled softly as she felt his lips move to her neck. "Ry… We can't… Your parents are going to be back here any minute with Sophie, not to mention Tyler…" As she spoke, she didn't even attempt to fight him off, her eyes closing as he gently sucked on her pulse point. After being together for so long, he knew just what to do to make her shake with anticipation, just what to do to make her want him more than ever.

He laughed himself as he heard what she said, pulling back to meet her eyes, one of his hand resting on her hip as the other moved under her shirt to gently rub her lower back. "Taylor, I'm appalled… You were always the one telling me that we needed to be more adventurous… I was the one saying that it was too risky…"

She laughed softly as she kissed him once more, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I guess things changed…" As she moved to leave once again, his hands moved to pin her arms against the wall, eliciting another giggle from her. She let him kiss her again, things quickly becoming heated. She really didn't even realized what she was doing until she had already undone the buckle on his pants, her hands already fumbling with the button of his jeans. She pulled back then, breathless from the intensity of their kisses alone. "Ry, seriously… We don't have enough time…"

He laughed again as he heard the nervous tone to her voice, shaking his head in response. "We'll be fast… It's not like it's the first time we've done this… In fact, if we're completely honest… I'm pretty sure we conceived this baby right down the hall…" Taylor laughed to herself as she heard his response, finally having been convinced. She pushed his pants along with his boxers down to his ankles in one swift movement, her lips meeting his once again.

She moaned softly as he pushed up the light sun dress she was wearing, running a hand against her lacy panties. Her knees shook and her thighs quivered in anticipation, knowing that he was just as turned on as she was. She moaned once again into his mouth as she felt him press himself against her as he slowly slid her panties off. And as he finally thrust into her, she could tell she was almost at her peak already.

This wasn't like the slow, loving sex they usually had. No, they were limited now, both with time and space, and as he moved in and out of her, his lips never left hers to stifle her moans. They came together, his heart racing, her breathing erratic. She was glad to have the wall behind her, otherwise she was sure she would've fallen straight to the tile floor beneath her. It was a long time before either of them said a word, but no amount of time would've prepared her for the two little words he whispered softly in her ear next. Because she honestly had no idea that it was coming.

"Marry me."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Need I remind you once again about how much I love this story? I actually wanted to update this at least once more before I start writing my term paper, which is supposed to take me three weeks unfortunately, not to mention that I have to write a Greek myth as well for the same teacher. So, I've decided to update this once more before I begin that hell. I'm glad that so many people love this, and I'm surprised that so many of you have caught on to what I have planned for this. Still no ending in sight for this one, I don't know if that's good or bad… You decide. lol As always, please review if you do read. Thanks in advance.

"What?" Her voice was timid, quiet, and didn't hide how shocked she truly was that he had just asked her that as she finally spoke minutes after he had spoken the question aloud. She had picked her head up from where it had been resting on his shoulder as soon as she felt his breath, still warm in her ear, but now she pulled back from the wall only far enough to let her dress fall back to rest at her knees, not even caring that her panties were still discarded somewhere on the tile floor. She bit her lip lightly as she pondered her next question for a few minutes in her head before speaking it aloud. She didn't know why it was the first thing that had occurred to her, but it was and she knew it would continue to bother her until she got an answer. "Are you asking because I'm pregnant?"

"What?" It was his turn to ask the question now, his eyes questioning her as a small smile remained on his lips. He too had pulled his clothes back on, knowing it wouldn't be long until Sandy and Kirsten returned with the kids. He didn't really know what had possessed him to ask her just then, but it had felt right, and he had thought she would agree with him. He tried to hide how nervous he was about hearing her response now by forcing that same small half-smile as he placed his hand back on her waist, feeling the way she relaxed with that little touch. "Are you seriously asking me that question?"

Taylor bit her lip as she hesitated a minute before shrugging her shoulders just slightly in response. "I… I don't know… I mean, we haven't talked about getting married in months, and now I suddenly tell you I'm pregnant and you ask… It's just kind of ironic, you know?"

Ryan laughed softly to himself again as he shook his head, kissing her softly before he answered her question. "No, I'm not asking because you happen to be carrying my child. And it's not like we've never talked about getting married. We said that we would after we got through school, and then it was once we were financially stable, and then it was once we knew that the company was going strong. What are we putting it off for now?"

She bit her lip again, thinking over his question for a minute before responding, still no trace of a smile on her completely shocked face. "Well… I really don't want to be pregnant on my wedding day…."

He nodded, giving her a small smile as he kissed her once again, resting his forehead against hers once me pulled back. "And that's not a problem. We can wait until after the baby's born. It'll be a long engagement, but it'll just make things a little more permanent. Besides, this could potentially help our chances with the Tyler situation."

Taylor didn't know what to say as she stood there, his eyes still locked on hers. She hadn't been expecting this at all, and it was completely throwing her off. She had figured that she of all people would figure out when he would propose to her, that she would be prepared. She would call Summer excitedly to tell her that tonight was the night, and then mull over her closet for hours, trying to find the perfect thing to wear. It would be perfect when he asked her, whether it be private, in the confines of their own apartment, or with many other people, taking place in one of their favorite elegant restaurants. And they wouldn't both be halfway undressed until after she had said yes.

When he asked her, she would be able to look into his eyes and know that he was sincere, that he meant what he said. She wouldn't have to question his motives, wondering if it was because she was having his baby or because they would look better in the eyes of the law. She would know that he was asking purely out of love, and she wouldn't have to think over her answer. She would be able to answer him immediately. Unfortunately, right now, she didn't feel like it fit that description at all. Not even the tiniest bit.

"I…" Was it just her imagination or was the room actually starting to spin? Again, she was thankful she was pressed up against the wall, using it for support as she tried to speak her thoughts aloud. Each time she tried, she didn't get past that one letter, one syllable word. It was as if her throat was closing up on her. Was it possible to actually choke on yourself? Because she was pretty sure that was what was about to happen. Just when she thought it couldn't get over her body, a strong wave of nausea came over her, her hand automatically falling to rest on her stomach. When she finally spoke again, she was finally able to get past that one word. "Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick…"

It hadn't been what Ryan was expecting at all, but it brought a smile to his face still, hearing her finally speak only to say something like that. He held back her hair from her still clammy face, gently rubbing her back as she did just that, and he too was thankful for the distraction. Waiting for her answer was becoming just as nerve-wracking for him, if not more so, and it was getting to the point where he could no longer stand it. He leaned closer to her ear as he continued to try to sooth her heaving body. "I'm so sorry you feel like this, Tay… You know I would do this for you if I could…"

God, why did he have to say something like that now, she thought to herself. Of course, leave it to him to be amazingly sweet and irresistible when she was faced with one of the biggest decisions of her life. But yet again, she was saved by the sound of a tiny female voice calling his name. She would have to remember to personally thank Sophie some day when she was old enough to understand the predicament Taylor was now in. As she moved to rest back against the cool wall behind her, she gave him a weak smile, trying to hide how badly she wanted to be alone by speaking in what she thought was a nonchalant tone. "You should go back out there… You don't want Sandy and Kirsten catching on to what we were doing. Besides, we have an excuse now… So…"

He nodded in response, not having to be asked twice to leave the room, wanting the time alone with his own thoughts. He kissed her forehead softly, giving her a sympathetic smile as he stood up. "You sure you're going to be okay?" Receiving a nod in response, he fought the urge to sigh out of relief as he reached for the doorknob, turning back to her once more before leaving. "I'll see you in a minute then, I guess…"

She nodded again, giving him the same small smile until he had left the room and she was finally alone. Standing up, she realized her knees were still violently shaking from her moments of pure panic just minutes ago. She didn't know why it was so hard to answer his question. She wanted to marry him, that wasn't the question. But now? With all the other major life-altering decisions around them, all already having been decided? And she was still questioning his motives, even though she knew that she shouldn't. It actually made her want to laugh as she realized that she could have answered his question about whether or not she wanted to have the baby she was now carrying much easier than his proposal. And if she was completely honest with herself, that scared her.

She leaned against the counter, splashing cold water on her still damp face, in hopes of feeling more like… well, herself. She closed her eyes as she took slow, deep breaths to try and calm her still racing heart. Unfortunately, it wasn't because of the state of total bliss she had been in only moments ago. No, this was from utter panic and fear brought about by her inability to answer the question she had always wanted to hear him ask. She had always envisioned herself excitedly saying yes, too ecstatic to even put her feelings into words. She had never managed that she would be completely speechless. Or that she would be considering say no.

She couldn't really say no, could she? She sighed softly as she opened her eyes again, staring back at her reflection in the mirror. No, she couldn't refuse because who knew how that would change their relationship? And she wanted this, now just didn't seem like the time for them. Maybe it was just her hormones making her unsure of her answer like this, he obviously didn't feel the same way. She sighed quietly once again as she pulled her honey brown hair back into the ponytail it had originally been in, checking her reflection once more. Yes, there truly was only one answer to his question, and that was just it. She could only hope that she would feel more sure of it herself when she finally told him.

- - - -

Taylor sighed softly to herself as she glanced at the time displayed on the dashboard once again before letting her eyes immediately return to the front door. After the incident in the bathroom earlier, they had both moved on for the moment, enjoying the time with the Cohens. Tyler had really taken to Sophie and Taylor and Ryan were both surprised to see legitimate tears in the corners of her baby blue eyes when they said they should get going. So, instead of doing just that, they had stayed for dinner, giving the kids time to play and getting more legal advice from Sandy on how to handle the situation at hand. Taylor had even made a point of going out of her way to let them know that they had resolved their issues. Kissing him softly when she sat back down at the table, laying her head down lightly on his shoulder, lacing her fingers through his where his hand rested on his leg. After her little outburst earlier, she had thought it was the least she could do.

Before they knew it, the time had slipped by, and the sun was already starting to set. A quick glance at Ryan's watch let her know that it was 9 o'clock and even though it would've been fine to stay later when it was just the two of them, she knew that it wasn't the case with Tyler there, especially since they both wanted to give him a little more time in the apartment to get used to everything. But as they went to leave, Sandy had thought it might be wise to sit down with the two of them and Tyler and approach the topic of their current situation becoming permanent. Just hearing that thought spoken aloud made Taylor's stomach flip again, her own fear of the conversation making her feel even sicker than she already was. She had quietly explained to Ryan that she didn't feel well, then said her goodbyes and headed to the car. Now, almost an hour later, she still had yet to see either Ryan or Tyler, and she felt like she was going to lose her mind for sure.

It had been a little over twenty minutes she had decided to move to the driver's side, hoping starting the car would make her feel like she was doing something. Five minutes after that, she turned on the CD player, wanting the noise as a distraction. The first few notes of the mixed CD that Ryan had been listening to for probably the past four years filled the car and she rolled her eyes as she skimmed the pocket in the door for something else, anything else. She came up empty handed, turning to look in the glove compartment instead. She knew for a fact that almost all of the CDs were in the opposite door, since she was usually the one to finally decide they needed to listen to something else. A minute later, she finally felt the round, smooth surface of a disk, pulling it out to find that it was The Very Best of Sheryl Crow, one of her personal favorites. Leave it to Ryan to hide it in there of all places…

Track 4, The First Cut is the Deepest, was now droning out the silence that had been making her mad, but she was still impatient as she waited for them to finally return. She didn't really know if it would be worse if Tyler agreed or disagreed to the idea of being adopted. Ryan would be crushed if he turned down their offer, and she couldn't say that she wouldn't be a little heart-broken herself. But with a baby on the way, she was sure they would be able to get through it. At the same time, it scared the hell out of her to know that he may say yes. She would become a mother instantly, having to care for this 12 year-old boy when she had barely been around children in her life. She had taken the few odd babysitting jobs, but that wasn't the way things worked in Newport. You had a nanny, or you didn't have kids basically, so it left her little opportunities to be around small children. The prospect of a baby scared her enough alone without this added to it.

She took another deep breath as she felt her throat tighten again, giving her a sickening feeling. It wasn't like she didn't want Tyler there, it just scared her. She hated change, and Tyler was definitely change. She and Ryan would have to change. There would be no more lazy weekends in bed or christening every room of the house multiple times. She thought for a fleeting moment of the day they painted their bedroom, both wearing absolutely nothing and how she had planned to do the nursery in the same manner. Now, that was no longer an option unless they got a babysitter themselves. And with Kaitlyn graduating in the spring, she didn't really see her jumping at the idea of the job. She and Ryan would be parents without that easing-in period a pregnancy and newborn baby allowed you to have. It would be immediate, all at once. And it scared the hell out of her.

Her thoughts stopped suddenly as she saw the big oak front door open just slightly. She felt her throat close in again, that sense of panic wash over her, and she was almost positive she was going to be sick then. But the door stopped, just Sandy's hand visible as it moved through the air while he spoke. She bit her lip, her knee bouncing as she continued to sit there waiting. Her breath caught in her throat as the three walked out onto the porch, Sandy giving Ryan a hug then giving Tyler a kind smile before waving to Taylor. She gave him a small smile as she waved back, hoping she didn't look as desperate and nervous as she now felt. Then, Sandy disappeared into the house and it was only Ryan and Tyler, slowly walking towards the car. But they were both smiling and laughing at something Tyler had just said. She watched as Ryan ruffled the boy's hair as they came around the side of the car, opening his door before getting in himself, barely even noticing he was on the passenger's side. And she just knew.

It was a minute before Ryan said anything, finally looking over at her with a puzzled expression. "Why are you driving? And what in the world are we listening to?"

Taylor laughed to herself as she heard his voice, surprised at how relieved she truly felt now. She shrugged her shoulders just slightly, giving him a small smile as she looked over at him before pulling out of the driveway. "I felt like driving… You two took long enough in there."

Ryan gave her a small smile as he laced his fingers through hers, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Well, it was definitely worth it." His eyes locked with hers then, and she felt that same rush of relief, letting her know that they really were doing the right thing. And as she finally looked back to the road, she felt his eyes still on her and knew that she really did love him. So maybe, she did know her answer after all. If she didn't agree with it now, she would surely learn to love the idea, right? His voice interrupted his thoughts as he pushed on. "You still didn't explain to me why we're listening to this… crap."

She laughed softly as she rolled her eyes playfully. "First of all, it's Sheryl Crow. And second of all, it's a whole lot better than the 'crap' you usually listen to. Besides don't you always say you get to decide because you're driving? I'm pretty sure that means it's up to me…"

She watched as he mimicked her, rolling his eyes dramatically before looking back over at her. "That is not true…" He turned around to look back at Tyler, happy to see that the boy still had the same wide smile on his face. "You don't really want to listen to this, Tyler, do you?"

He watched as the boy waited a minute before shrugging his shoulders hesitantly. "Well… It's better than what you were listening to earlier…"

Taylor had to laugh as she heard his response, surprised by his honesty. She too watched in the rearview mirror as he continued to laugh, listening to their light-hearted banter. Yes, she thought to herself. This really was the right thing. They were going to make this work.

- - - -

Ryan sighed to himself as he finished getting ready that night, purely exhausted. Tyler didn't know that they had been up most of the night, and they had given in when he asked to watch a movie with them. Thankfully, he fell asleep almost immediately after the opening credits of Cars, one of the only movies they owned that would appeal to him, and they put him to bed just as fast. He couldn't remember a time he had been this tired in his life, well, since college, but it felt good. It felt good to know that everything was going to be good, that everything was going to work. As he left the bathroom, he was even more surprised to see Taylor sitting on the edge of the bed in a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top, waiting for him.

"I thought you would be asleep by now…" She just shook her head plainly, not giving an answer, and he could see she was just barely biting her lip. He smiled to himself, finding her nervous act absolutely adorable as he sat down beside her. "Well, is everything okay?" Again, he just received a nod, as she cast her eyes down to her feet. He laughed softly to himself as he gently placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look his way as he kissed her softly. "Well, I don't buy that…"

Now it was Taylor who laughed as she moved to straddle his waist, placing a knee on either side of his legs. She kissed him a little more passionately than before, then met his eyes again, speaking softly. "I was just thinking about Monday now… How everything's going to change… We're going to need to go to Child Services, but then Tuesday he's going to have to go to school… And that means going all the way to Chino…" As she spoke she slowly pushed him back down so he was lying down on the bed, her own body hovering over him as she left tiny kisses along his jaw line every so often.

He smiled as he heard his voice, nodding in response. He was surprised that she didn't continue, always having been the one to organize everything in the past. Catching her off-guard as he flipped them over, being the one in control now. The shocked look on her face before she smiled softly up at him was enough to know that whatever was on her mind wasn't that serious. He spoke as he gently kissed her neck, loving the reaction he was receiving from her. "And I'm guessing you have a plan…"

"Maybe…" As he pulled back to meet her eyes, she laughed softly, rolling her eyes. "Okay, okay. I was thinking you could drop him off, check out the hospital then, and I can pick him up at three and work at home for the rest of the day. What do you think?"

"I think it sounds perfect." He continued his assault on her neck, feeling her relax more. But it wasn't long before she sighed and he knew something else was wrong. He pulled back to meet her eyes, giving her a reassuring smile. "There's something else, isn't there?"

She nodded, biting her lip lightly again as she met his eyes. "Yeah… There is… I think I owe you an answer…" Both of them laid there in complete silence, not saying a word as she kept her eyes even with his. After what felt like an eternity to him, she smiled softly, leaning up to kiss him gently. "Yes, Ry. I would love to be Mrs. Atwood." As a smile spread across his face, she felt relieved once again. And she let herself get lost in the moment as their kisses continued and they finally made love slowly like she had wanted. She wasn't really sure about this change, but she was sure that she would grow to welcome it. It was Ryan for god's sake. She had to…. right?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I bet you thought I couldn't stay away from this for this long, right? lol Much to my surprise, I got back into the mood of writing R/M, so that's what I've been up to lately. lol I want to start a lot of AU too, and some of them will apply to R/T as well so I'll have to see what I decide about those. I definitely have another one shot and another fic planned for them already though. lol There's been a unanimous response that everyone wants more Ryan/Tyler and Ryan/Family interaction, whether it be the Cohens, his dad and Brandon, or Kaitlyn and Julie. Personally, I want to write more Ryan/Sophie, but that'll just have to wait. lol Ryan and Taylor as a couple kind of take a backseat in this one, but that won't last. lol Hopefully, this is all what you guys wanted to see. lol To make things easier for me, Kaitlyn is also younger here by three years. She's 21, instead of 24, like she would be on the show. As always, please review if you do read. Thanks in advance.

On Sunday, Ryan and Taylor found out that Tyler's favorite food was peanut butter, it always had been and he was pretty sure it always would be. They had decided to spend the day just the three of them, escape the drama that had somehow become their lives for the moment and just take a day to live by the minute instead of planning the week ahead of that one before Monday had ever even started. Ryan figured that Taylor could use the relaxation if she had been stressed out, and Tyler had expressed an interest for the beach, so that's exactly what they did. Even though their apartment was four yards behind them, they had packed a lunch and lounged in the sand all day. Well, they had tried, but Tyler's real love was for the water and he had turned out to be quite the strong swimmer. The three of them spent hours in the chilly waters, playing as if they were all children, instead of the 27 year olds Taylor and Ryan truly were. And in their moments of pure happiness, the fears of the day to come dissipated from their minds. Whatever was decided the following day would happen then, not now. And if for some reason they were to lose Tyler in a custody battle, they would have these few precious hours as a memory.

On Monday, Tyler learned that Ryan and Taylor had meant what they said when they told him that they would love to have him stay with them. From the way they got ready in absolute silence that morning, to the way that there was no music in the car at all that time. He realized that he found it slightly odd, well not odd, but different that Ryan held her hand tightly as they waited to meet with a social worker. He could really tell that Ryan meant it when he told Taylor he loved her, and never once in his 12 years had he seen someone love someone else like that. He learned that he was jealous as well that day, jealous of Taylor for being loved like that. And on Saturday, he had been jealous of Sophie as she clung to her mother's hand when they went for ice cream. He knew that he was too old to sit in his father's lap and to hold his mother's hand, but he had never felt loved like that, the way Sophie was. But the most important thing Tyler learned that day was that he would never have to face his father again, now that he was ruled an unfit parent. He was going to stay with Ryan and Taylor as of now until Social Services could track down his mother. And no one knew just how long that could take.

On Tuesday, they learned that Tyler suffered from night terrors, something they hadn't experienced with either Sophie or Brandon on the nights they would sleep over after Ryan and Taylor had been babysitting for the evening. Sophie would have the occasional nightmare, sending her running into their room and cocooning herself between them in order to fall asleep again. And if Brandon ever had a bad dream, Ryan and Taylor never heard about it. Their plan to get Tyler to and from school had been flawless, Ryan had actually taken the afternoon off, in order to accompany Taylor to her appointment. Much to their relief, whatever the problem had been just a few days earlier had now resolved itself and both Taylor and the baby seemed to just fine. They had spent the evening just the three of them, watching a movie together before Tyler went to bed. Tyler had been asleep for hours by the time that Ryan and Taylor fell asleep, so they hadn't been worried about him at all. But at one in the morning, his small screams and crying filled their bedroom and they both were awaken by the noise. Both of them went into the room that had now become his, neither of them knowing what to expect. But they weren't prepared to find him crying out in his sleep, not even awake or aware of what he was doing. Thankfully, they had been able to calm him down without waking them, and for the time being they decided not to question him about it.

It was on Wednesday that Tyler truly learned the most though. Again, their day was picture perfect, with Ryan dropping Tyler off on his way to work and Taylor picking him up before returning home for the day. It was that afternoon that Kaitlyn chose to call, while Ryan was helping Tyler with his homework. He hadn't had to work late at all since Tyler had come to stay with them, and Taylor was counting that as a blessing. Something about the situation still made her feel inept, so she was glad not to have to be on her own with Tyler, a thought that would still sometimes keep her up at night, constantly worrying about her own ability to be a mother to not only her unborn child but to this boy that had suddenly been brought into their lives. Still nauseous most of the time, she had resorted to ordering take out, so she had been working when the call came, expecting it to be the place they had happened to order from that night. Instead, it was Kaitlyn.

Saying that the relationship between Ryan and Kaitlyn, when written out for all to see, was not so ordinary was putting it mildly. Even after dating her sister on and off for almost three years, he had only talked to the younger Cooper girl a handful of times. It wasn't until after Marissa's death that he and Kaitlyn truly formed the relationship they now had, the unconventional older brother/younger sister bond they displayed for most of the time. It wasn't odd for Kaitlyn to call or visit at all. Being a student at UCLA, there were many weekends when she would come stay with them after a dispute with her roommate or because Spencer was there in LA for the weekend and Ryan, Julie, and the Bullitt himself all said no to her staying with him. All three of them weren't fans of the age difference between the two, but Ryan let it go when he realized that they both really did care for each other. And Spencer had turned out to be pretty good for Kaitlyn, kind of like Taylor had been for him.

Taylor slowly walked back to the kitchen where both Ryan and Tyler were seated at the table, intently reading whatever textbook he now had spread out in front of him. Seeing him there with Tyler brought a small smile to her face, reminding her once again why this baby was a good thing, why she should stop doubting their ability to be parents. But hearing Kaitlyn's nagging voice on the other line ended that moment, causing her to laugh softly as she spoke, causing both of the people in front of her to look up. "Hey, Ry… It's Kaitlyn… But I can tell her that you're busy and have her call back."

She watched as Ryan shook his head, standing up from the table and taking the phone from her hand, kissing her quickly as he did so. Hearing Kaitlyn's voice again, he laughed softly as she pulled back. "I think she may be better at answering Tyler's questions than I am…" Motioning to her, he left the kitchen for the privacy his office offered, sitting down at his desk before raising the phone to his ear. "Hi, Kaitlyn."

Almost immediately, he was met with a dramatic sigh, the conversation that had been taking place on her end immediately ceasing. He could pick up the faint sound of the music she was playing in her dorm room as well, Fergie, no doubt. Leave it to Kaitlyn to listen to exactly the same music she did when she was in high school even now, almost four years later. It was a minute before her voice, clearly irritated reached him. "Finally! You're too busy with Taylor to even talk to me anymore? How is that even possible?"

"I'm good, thanks for asking, Kaity." He responded snidely, not surprised by the reaction he had received from her. She truly was like a little sister to him anymore, so it didn't surprise him that she held absolutely nothing back while talking to him. Before she could respond again, he cut in, wanting to make their conversation short. Well, that was part of it. "Listen, I know that you probably have a great reason for calling me, but I actually have a question for you. Do you remember what the difference between an anion and a cation is?"

He heard her laughter on the other end, then a rustling that usually meant she was settling in for a long conversation, taking refuge on her twin sized bed that took up most of her dorm room. This time, it wasn't a welcome noise. "Well, a good start would definitely be pronouncing it right. You say it like cat ion, and it's just an ion with a positive charge. Now, why are you, Ryan Atwood, the physics major messing around with ions? Do you have some double life I don't know about?" She was met with a silence on the other end as Ryan thought over how true that statement might be anymore. Thankfully, she started up again almost immediately. "You know what? I don't want to know. What I do want to know is if there's still a vacancy in your apartment…"

"Actually…" Ryan started, then stopped just as suddenly. Besides Kirsten and Sandy, no one else knew about Tyler. And if he told Kaitlyn before Seth, he knew he truly would never here the end of it. So, he covered, not starting in on the Tyler saga just yet. "Wait, why aren't you going back to Newport? I mean, I am assuming this has something to do with Spencer…"

Hearing another sigh on the other end, he knew he was in for a long conversation. "Well… kinda… I don't know really. I mean, I thought we were okay, but now… I think I messed up and I need to talk to him without my mother knowing. So, I need to crash at your place for the weekend. Slide under the radar. You of all people should know how that is…"

Ryan sighed, knowing that she was right. If there was one person who knew about not wanting to face Julie Cooper, it was him. While she had changed over the years and she truly was a great mother to Brandon, it had taken a long time for him to form the relationship he now had with her. In fact, it took Marissa's death to really make her drop all of her inhibitions. The way he fell apart and turned in on himself made her realize that he really had loved her daughter, and she found a new respect for him. Realizing that Kaitlyn was still waiting for his response, he sighed to himself as he moved to rest on his elbows on his desk, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes. "Well, I'm afraid it's not that simple this time…"

"If Sophie's going to be there too, I don't mind. She was a pretty great roommate the last time, much better than my roommate here." Ryan laughed as he heard what he said, already aware of the fact that her roommate who she hated with a passion was just a few feet away. It wasn't the first time she had openly insulted her either, well, in this way at least. This roommate was always trying to be a second mother to Kaitlyn, telling her that Spencer was too old for her and that she should enjoy her life, that she should work more on school and spend less time going out on the weekends, that she shouldn't go home every weekend if she ever wanted to be independent. And to be honest, Ryan hated the girl too. As long as it didn't involve him ending up in the middle of a fight between Kaitlyn and Julie, she knew that she was welcome there most weekends.

As much as Ryan wanted to ask her more about the situation with Spencer, make sure that everything was okay, he realized that it was more important to let her in on what was happening there first. He cleared his throat as he leaned back in his chair, hesitating a minute longer before starting. "No, Soph's actually not here this time… Neither is Brandon, but I'm guessing that you already knew that." He waited for her to retaliate with her own sarcastic remark, but he was met with quiet instead. "Taylor and I… We're actually…" Wow, this was a lot harder than he thought it would be, he didn't think it would be this difficult to tell Kaitlyn of all people. Seth, maybe, but not Kaitlyn Cooper. So, he decided to just say it, not try to sugarcoat it or draw it out. "Taylor and I are letting this little boy stay with us right now, Tyler. We're actually hoping to get custody of him." Again, he was met with silence and it only made him more nervous. After a while, he sighed to himself, running a hand over his tired eyes again. "Kaitlyn?"

"Oh, wow… I just… I wasn't expecting that… Well… Is it okay if I still come for the weekend? Because I could try to lead my mom astray, not let her know that my relationship with Spencer is going about as well as she wants it to right now…"

There was no hesitation at all when Ryan responded, telling her that he and Taylor would love to see her, only if it was just for the weekend. She asked a few more questions, but soon had to go because there was a call on the other line and it could only be Spencer, according to her. He ended up hanging up without knowing just exactly what her new drama of the week was, and while it was a little unnerving, he knew that she would spill to Taylor almost immediately. Kaitlyn still saw Ryan as the big brother she had never had, and she had already welcomed Taylor as a sister-in-law, her words not his. And if anyone would be more than okay with them taking Tyler in, he knew that it would be Kaitlyn.

Sandy and Kirsten told him they thought what he was doing was great, but he knew that they still didn't like the fact that he and Taylor had lived together for so long and were still not married. And that was before they even knew about Taylor's pregnancy to boot. And while Seth had welcomed Ryan so easily, Ryan wasn't so sure he would be so open to the idea of Taylor and himself becoming parents, even if she was pregnant as it was. Seth had never been a fan of change, and this was most definitely change. So, he could only count on Kaitlyn and Summer to be perfectly fine with the idea.

When he finally put the phone back and returned to the kitchen, he found Taylor and Tyler already sitting at the table, dinner having already arrived. He kissed her softly as he moved to sit in the unoccupied seat, quickly becoming involved in their conversation about Tyler's day. While his excitement in relating the events to them made Ryan only want to listen more, it broke his heart to know that this was probably the first time someone had asked the little boy about his day. Ryan didn't have long to dwell on it though, because it wasn't long before the focus of the conversation changed, and he found himself to be the topic.

"Who's Kaitlyn?" was the boy's innocent question, one that he had no idea would lead into a very long explanation. Wanting to avoid just that, Ryan answered quickly.

"Well, Kaitlyn's my younger sister. She's a college student right now, but she's graduating this spring. She's actually going to come stay with us for the weekend."

Ryan glanced back over at Taylor after saying that, wanting to make sure that she was okay with it, which she seemed to be as she nodded, giving him a small smile. But Tyler was still biting his lip in thought, obviously confused by Ryan's response.

"But… I thought you said Sophie was your only little sister?"

"Well… She is… Kind of… It's complicated, Tyler." While he really didn't want to explain, seeing the way Tyler nodded and then ducked his head made him change his mind. He didn't want him to think that he was mad at him ever, there was plenty of time for Tyler to hate him for something later on, at least he hoped. For now, he just wanted to make life better for this boy. "Sophie's not really my sister either…" he responded after a minute, his voice softer.

Tyler looked back up at him, his confusion still obvious. "But, you said…"

Ryan nodded, laughing softly to himself as he heard what he said. "I know what I said, Tyler. I didn't want to get your hopes up, but Sandy and Kirsten aren't my real parents either. I was adopted by the Cohens when I was 16. My dad was in jail then, and my mom couldn't really take care of my brother or me then. So, they let me stay with them. Seth's their son, so he became my brother when they adopted me. And Sophie's my sister then, we're just not related by blood."

He watched as Tyler nodded in response, still letting everything sink in. After a while he looked back up at Ryan, biting his bottom lip just slightly. "Well then… How is Kaitlyn your sister?"

Both Ryan and Taylor laughed as they heard his question, slightly relieved. Ryan was hesitant about bringing up Trey, especially since he no longer really considered him his brother, after everything that had happened. He was glad that Tyler didn't question him anymore about that brother. "Well, Kaitlyn was the little sister of Marissa, who I dated for a while. And when Marissa died, Kaitlyn and I became closer. When my dad came to see me in Newport, he met Kaitlyn's mom and they dated for a while and even thought about getting married, but they decided they were better friends. My brother Brandon is their son, so he's Kaitlyn's brother too. Does it make a little more sense now?"

Tyler nodded in response, giving him a small smile as he looked back up. "You have a really big family."

Taylor nodded, smiling softly back over at the young boy in front of her. "It is a big family, and I'm sure they'll all love you too."

Tyler only nodded once again before going on to tell them about an incident with one of his classmates that morning, and Ryan and Taylor were both glad to have something else to talk about. But it didn't change the fact that he had learned that no matter what happened, he would always have a family here in the comfort of this apartment with this couple who were more like his parents than anyone else had ever been before.

It wasn't long before he left the table to finish his homework, reading a short story for the night, and Ryan and Taylor were left alone. She pushed her half empty plate away as she stood up from the table, but she surprised him when she shook her head in response when he pushed his chair away from the table, going to stand as well. Instead of clearing the table like he assumed she was going to, she lowered herself into his lap, leaving a soft, pleasurably long kiss on his lips before pulling back to rest her forehead against his. "You handled that perfectly…"

It was a minute before he spoke again, too shocked by her sudden actions at first. They both had agreed that until they were more comfortable with the situation, there would be no sex, risky or otherwise. And Taylor wasn't a fan of PDA anymore, at least when Tyler was present. So, it had been soft, sweet, loving kisses and hand squeezes instead of the long, sensual kisses they used to share in the elevator and the times when his hand would stray below her waist to rest on her back side instead. He was okay with it, he too wasn't exactly comfortable with having sex when Tyler was right down the hall because he wasn't their son, at least not yet, but it was a pleasant surprise to have her do this. He met her eyes again as he kissed her quickly once again before speaking. "Really? You think so?"

She nodded, smiling softly to herself as she heard the apprehension in his voice. He wasn't being cocky, trying to flatter himself. He was only unaware of how amazing he actually was. "Yeah, I really do… In fact, I know so. And you know what else I know? You're going to be a great dad." This time, she even surprised herself. They hadn't really talked about the baby all that much, and not just because they hadn't told Tyler just yet. She still wasn't totally sold on the idea, too busy questioning her own abilities to be a parent to really enjoy the subtle changes that were happening every day. But when he handled the situation, if it could even be called that, with Tyler, it made her more sure of their own situation herself.

"Well, I hope so… You're going to be great too…" His hand fell to rest on her waist as he left one more sweet, soft kiss on her lips before she laid her head down on his shoulder, both of them enjoying the moment. Eventually, they would have to pull apart, move on with their duties for the evening. He would go to his office to get a little more work done for the day and she would sit in her pajamas the living room, reading to herself while Tyler watched TV. They would tuck Tyler in together before he would join her in the living room. They would turn off the TV and sit for a while, talking and catching up on their days while she laid her head down in his lap, exhausted from the long day. Once she could barely keep her eyes open any longer, he would carry her into their bedroom albeit her protests and tuck her in before getting ready for bed himself. He would pull her into his arms and tell her he loved her, letting her "I love you too" be the last thing he heard before he fell asleep that night. And then they would have to wake up again, start over, get through another day together amidst morning sickness, failed business proposals, and more 5th grade homework. But the three of them would do it together. And for this moment, they had this perfect serenity, a moment that made life worth living.


End file.
